Tradition
by FistofShadow
Summary: Shen, Akali and the Evening Rituals. [explicit tho]


_**What up it's Nekiiiiiiiiiii so uh. I've had this idea floating around for a while, and yeah I decided to finally publish it for now to see if people actually like it (like... pacing, writing, content, etc.)**_

_**sooo... read & review! Please and thank you :) ((so I seriously know if I should finish this or if I should post it if I finish it anyway)**_

_**Enjoy? XD**_

* * *

"I deeply apologize, Fist of Shadow."

Shen intoned in his signature clear and calm baritone voice, "That you were chosen to fulfil a duty that you had no desire to assume."

He maintained his upright posture, legs underneath him, with his hands neatly folded into fists resting on his knees.

Akali breathed easier upon noticing the signs of Shen's own nervousness; his movements were a little too rigid than usual, along with the atmosphere heavily weighted by the warmth (and consequently, sweat) emanating from their own bodies.

Despite the simple ceremonial attire he was garbed in and a mask that he was probably not going to remove, Akali knew him long enough to hear what his unwavering voice never says, to read how his body moved—and even after his statement he had not moved an inch— and to see the expressions on his hidden face.

Akali was also in the ceremonial yukata required for the "ritual" they were about to perform in, but compared to Shen's decorations (even if he _did_ choose to tone it way down), hers was nothing to behold. Clad in what is practically a thin white robe, her slight trembling was much more apparent than she would have wanted it to be.

It was ridiculous how she found herself in this situation, it was ridiculous that tradition normally had women in the extravagant dress, a polished gift the man was supposed to unwrap, but by virtue of being a practice to maintain the balance within a revered title-holder, her role was immediately brought down to being nothing more than a tribute. She was a means to an end, despite being a title-holder herself. It was ridiculous how she, a hardened assassin, was actually feeling anxious about the entire arrangement, it was ridiculous how she, at that moment, had been terrified into thinking so much.

She liked to think that he was blinking a lot, looking upon her intently, waiting for a reply. There were so many things she wished to say, but none of them were things that needed to be heard.

"But I assure you that I have learned enough not to hurt you…," Shen remained stationary, but Akali _felt_ the change in his demeanor, "Before the marriage festivals the men of the village were taught how to… fulfil their duties properly, even though my father did not want me there, I was somehow in attendance."

Akali wondered why he was suddenly telling her all these things, of course she knew what they did in the village, they grew up together, after all. But her lips twitched in a slight smile upon realizing that this, too, was a manifestation of Shen's frayed nerves.

The exalted Eye of Twilight. Nervous. It was almost cute.

Akali's gaze remained slightly lowered. There was nothing of note in Shen's quarters anyway, but she had been deliberately avoiding glancing at the futon laid beside them. It was where Shen slept, she knew, but it had been cushioned by two more mats for her convenience. Still, it was much too narrow for her liking.

In front of her, a meter away, sat Shen. With her gaze directed forward, she was looking towards him, not _at_ him, but with her sunken gaze she realized she was staring at where his lower regions would be, and immediately looked up, and without really intending to, locked her gaze on his face.

She seized up, flustered and tense, blinking rapidly in a futile attempt to block him, "I-I… yes. My gratitude, Eye of Twilight." She took a little comfort in their shared unease, despite Shen letting no physical cues betray him.

_I should just get on with it, I suppose_. She had calmly undone her hair and settled it behind her, and with the same composure she untied her thin obi. _Hesitation is the seed of defeat._ Akali gradually removed her yukata, adjusting her legs as she unpins it from herself completely. She mentally repeated her mantra until she was done neatly folding the robe beside her.

Shen inadvertently tightened his fists, he thought he had already seen all that there was to see, he thought he had challenged and defeated all the emotions that a normal man could possibly have. He had thought all of these things, but at that very moment, he knew he had been completely wrong.

Akali kowtows towards Shen, her fluid movements betraying the tension within her, "I solemnly wish to be able to fulfil this duty, my lord."

And with those words, Akali signals the ritual's commencement.

* * *

Akali was seated in the middle of Shen's futon, Shen himself was also sitting right in front of her. Despite their proximity, they were not touching at all.

"So first I am supposed to make you wet."

Akali jolted in surprise and directs her gaze to her lap, trying her hardest to conceal her flushed visage. Shen internally cursed his straightforward nature, years and years of training had taught him to hide absolutely nothing, to say what needed to be said and nothing more.

"Eye of Twi—m-my lord, I thought you said you were taught the… ways?" Akali stutters out, her eyes still fixed on her hands, balled into fists against her lap.

Shen did not hint at any embarrassment, but to Akali's ears his voice dripped with it, "I was not allowed to go. I was not physically inside the audience but I assure you I was listening."

"Unfortunately, I cannot help you as well, my lord…, my mother was also strict with my training. She did not think I needed to learn how to be a wife… yet," Akali allows herself to look up at him from her lowered face, "…As your duty dictates, what do you think must be done?"

"Well, Fist of Shadow, I think I need to touch you— if you allow it," without all of his layers of clothing Shen was much easier to read, his muscles sometimes straining here and there, expressing the emotions his face could not, "I know it seems like you have no choice, but if you do not desire it, we can always choose to stop."

To Shen's utter surprise, Akali brings her hands to rest upon his, avoiding eye contact despite their newfound intimacy, "I do not wish to stop if you do not want to, my lord. And please," She tentatively raises her gaze to look at his expressionless face, "In this ritual, you should call me by my given name."

"And if not your duty, my lord," She whispers, unsure of her words, "what does your body wish to do?"

Akali smiles as she notes Shen's lack of movement was not because of his serious nature, but because he was genuinely dumbstruck. Shen, for his entire life, never once knew of indulgence or worldly pleasures, it was simply not allowed, and Shen dutifully obeyed. Eventually, the Order conceded that constant suppression, once he had aged and the urges became stronger, was naturally not the correct path to perfect Balance. Hence, the Evening Rituals.

To both their surprise, Akali pulls Shen's hands to rest upon her thighs. Shen was unnaturally stiff as his body leaned towards her slightly, taken aback by the sudden turn of events. Akali was appalled at her own actions, not understanding all the while why her gut felt—almost a separate entity completely— at that moment, that the intimacy their touch brought was necessary.

But before she could utter her apologies and explanations, Shen's calloused hands tentatively travelled higher and higher, it tickled her, but at the same time, excited her. She did not understand why, but as his hands stop to rest against her toned stomach, the slightest pressure he applied somehow compelled her to lie on her back. It must have been the years of training together ingraining how the Kinkou ninjas should intuitively understand each other's plans and intentions, but somehow her instincts whispered a different kind of order.

Shen rests his gaze upon Akali's neatly closed slit, taking the sight of it in, noting the size, shape, color and texture of this curious part of her. He desperately tried to control his erratic breathing, somehow defying him despite more than two decades' worth of training. He wouldn't know anything for sure exactly, however, unless he touched her himself.

"N-nh-ah…!"

Shen abruptly withdraws his hand, the slightest hint of fear etched in his eyes, "Have I hurt you, Fist of Shadow?"

Akali, after her initial reaction, swiftly brought her arms to cover her face, "No, my lord, that was not pain…" She breathed out, her face burning with color.

"…Then what was it?"

He did not think it was possible for her to glow a deeper color of red, but she did as she manages a, "D-don't tease me like this, my lord, please."

Shen was genuinely curious about her strange reaction, and upon noticing how heavy his breathing had become, about his own uncharacteristic behaviors as well, "I just need to know if I was doing the correct actions, Fist of Shadow, I do not wish to hurt you knowing that there is a way to prevent it."

"M-My lord… it… it embarrasses me to… admit how… pleasurable it felt."

Akali held her breath as the words came out of her mouth, dreading Shen's judgment. However, Shen only breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her real sentiments, "There is no shame in pleasure, Fist of Shadow."

Armed with new knowledge, Shen felt more strange stirrings bubble up within him. Doubtless, he was still lost, but fortunately he now felt that he knew where to go.

Shen cautiously replaces his hand onto Akali's softness, more curious than anything. He gently traces the darkened crevice with his rough fingers, wondering if it would reveal more to him as he tried to feel everything there was about it. What he definitely learned at that moment, however, was that there were so many more faces to his childhood colleague than he had thought possible.

He could not understand why her reactions to his touch affected him so much. He could not understand why he felt jolts of pleasure as he watched her writhe, twitch, and occasionally completely arch her back. He could almost hear the moans she bit back, but he could definitely feel the tension she was trying to supress.

Eventually, he found himself slipping in between her flesh, gliding smoothly up and down as slippery fluids whose origin he could not care about at the moment began coating his fingertips.

Akali threw her head back, swallowing a long moan just before it could be made. Shen averted his attention from her slit (though he was still dutifully stroking it), suddenly enraptured by not only Akali's lithe, athletic body, but also by her very being. Akali, the Fist of Shadow, the girl he had known since childhood, the ally that trained with him throughout their adolescence, the friend who saw how the fateful Takanu had changed him, the comrade he works alongside with, and now, the woman lying bare before him.

"A-ah!"

A loud gasp broke his reverie, the jolts of pleasure suddenly returning to him upon realizing it came from Akali herself. Shen leans slightly forward in interest as his observant nature forces him to watch her reactions attentively, he had noticed her reacting more strongly—convulsing, even—when he dragged his fingers over the hood of her soft flesh. He tried to bring himself together after noticing the succulent pink hue of Akali's womanhood, her slit having parted slightly, the soft lips yielded to his touch.

Remembering his unsated curiosity, he began isolating his actions only on the upper half of her softness, sometimes changing directions or swirling in circles, checking for Akali's bodily approval. Her suppressions are futile, as even her own body wished to betray her. For what, she was not certain.

Shen answered the question for her, however, by keeping his fingers solely on the higher end of her, rubbing against her hood as he goes up, stroking over the hood as he goes down. Judging from her suddenly frantic breathing, Shen knew he had discovered the source of her erratic behaviour. Akali was not even tossing or turning anymore, she simply held herself rigid, her hands grasping desperately at the sheets on either side of her. The sight of her duress gave Shen a sudden spike of the pleasure he had felt earlier.

Shen, despite knowing both of them are keepers of order, somehow found a strange pleasure in Akali's discord. More specifically, in knowing that _he_ was the cause of her discord.

Suddenly, Akali jolted in surprise, uttering a small cry as Shen accidentally slips the tip of one of his fingers into her entrance.

"Fist of Shadow! Are you okay?" Shen almost-shouts in an uncharacteristically strained voice, once again withdrawing his hand from Akali.

Akali, however, could no longer feel the slight nuances and hints one deciphered Shen's emotions with, an unknown strangeness having clouded her senses. In normal circumstances, she would realize how dangerous her situation was, being unable to rely on her senses. But Akali already knew, from the very beginning of their ritual, that they were in no normal circumstance.

"I-it stung a little, my lord," She mutters through her heaving breath, eyes closed weakly, "but it feels really… strange…"

Shen was a little confused, but nonetheless curious, "…Strange?" It wasn't exactly the reassurance he was hoping for, however it _did_ come after a "but"…

Without waiting for another reply, Shen replaces his right hand upon her entrance, silently sure that this is what he needed to focus on,_ It does seem like the right part for the ritual after all._

Fortunately, Shen is the kind of man who learns quickly from instruction and experience. He made use of his other hand this time, resting the palm of his left hand upon Akali's smooth mound, gently stroking the nub he knew made her squirm underneath him.

Hearing her take a sharp breath, Shen gingerly pushes the tip of his right middle finger inside her. Akali exhales a deep moan, a little shocked by the sharp pain but mostly by the overwhelming pleasure. Shen slowly brings the tip of his finger in and out of her, making sure that he doesn't push in too deep, waiting for her body to get used to him.

Shen simply trains his gaze on Akali's face, and more than occasionally, her body, completely captivated by her soft expressions of dulcet pain and aching pleasure. He watches her as the sensations ebb and flow over her body; the slight furrow in her brow, as if deep in meditation, is her trying to keep the urges at bay.

The way her eyes gently narrow and close, her eyelids fluttering as a quiet sigh escapes her lips, is her feeling the numbness wash over her body.

Her mouth, stretched slightly as if in a grimace, is her withstanding the pain— but sometimes, as small whimpers and almost silent moans escape her guard, Shen knows it's her approving a gentle stroke or two.

Similarly, her body would sometimes seize up for a few precious moments, only for her to be suddenly shaken by quick, heavy breaths. He wouldn't quite admit it yet, but more often than not, Shen would catch himself staring at her breasts, bouncing ever-so-slightly whenever she twitches and writhes from his touch.

The ever-growing tent in Shen's pristine hakama had more than a sizable share of his attention, however, the captivating sight of Akali's thorough pleasure was more than enough incentive for him to hold back what came next—whatever that was—just a little bit longer.

He noticed Akali constantly breathing shallow breaths, sporadically punctuated by sharp gasps and subdued whimpers. Shen was so enraptured in the woman before him that he hadn't noticed himself already thrusting his finger inside her at full length. The palm of his right hand was already drenched with Akali's essence, and almost by instinct and unrestrained desire, Shen slipped another finger inside her.

With a clear moan, Akali bucked her hips on impulse, feeling herself stretched further by Shen's thick fingers.

And almost just as suddenly, her hands flew to her face, covering as much of it as she can, "Ah—I'm sorry! My lord—I!" Shen did not bother supressing a slight twitch of the corners of his mouth, a quick smile, at the sight of Akali's futile attempts at hiding her bright, blushing face from him.

Shen, attentive and observant as he is, started slow, carefully pushing in, and little by little, as he adjusts to Akali's vice-like tightness, dragged his fingers out, unknowingly rubbing against her tender inner walls.

Akali drew a sharp breath, her body confused by the flurry of emotions assaulting her. On the one hand, Shen's entry was the source of a stinging pain; on the other hand, not one inch of her wanted him to stop. Slowly and carefully, Shen thrust his fingers into her repeatedly, curiously noting how Akali's nethers seemed to refuse to let him go. He watched her face attentively as her walls sucked him right back in every time he pulled out.

"I-It's really s-strange…," Akali drawled, lingering on her syllables.

Shen observed her as her body jerks from time to time, his left thumb still firmly planted on her sensitive nub. The male ninja swallowed the saliva pooling in mouth, having noticed how Akali's juices flowed freely from their point of contact, making his entry and exit much more smoother.

"Sh-Shen…!"

As if triggered by the sound of his name, Shen thrusts into Akali at an increased pace, his fingers eventually reaching the farthest they could go without him even realizing what he was doing. But before Shen could worry about doing the wrong thing and accidentally hurting Akali, the female ninja plants herself firmly against the bed, bracing herself against the sudden surge of pleasure.

Shen could no longer ignore the tension he felt in himself, the evidence of his arousal stubbornly straining against his fundoshi, as if wishing to tear out of his garments by sheer force. Akali's subdued mewls and quiet moans only spurred him further. Shen, as if in a trance, was still thrusting his fingers into Akali's softness, his eyes dancing over her body and taking in as much of all the details as he could. He was perfectly ready to continue into what comes after, and—his thoughts occasionally interrupted by Akali's sublime moans and provocative movements—he was sure the woman before him was ready as well.

…Now, if only he knew what to do next, exactly.


End file.
